Hurstbourne Tarrant Conservatives held an Assado - a South American Barbecue - at the Pavilion, Hurstbourne Tarrant and about one hundred supporters were present.

Talking about the Leadership, Sir George said he would be backing Ken Clarke as the Leader most likely to win back the 6 million missing Conservative voters. Asked about his views on Europe, Sir George said

"I am backing Ken not just because I believe he will get back lost support. Having worked with him, I know he can build a team and give it Leadership. I back his judgement, having seen him lay the foundations of a successful economy – often over-ruling official advice and conventional wisdom. He is a more experienced politician, confident in the House, plausible on the media, good in Whitehall.You rightly ask about Europe. If he wins, Ken has recognised that he will lead a predominantly Eurosceptic parliamentary Party and his Shadow Cabinet will reflect that. He has said he does not expect anyone to change their views on Europe. If there is a Referendum, members will be free to campaign on either side – as happened in 1975. He has said that if Blair proposes that we should join the Euro now, he would oppose that. He is totally against tax harmonization, does not believe in a federal Europe, has little time for the bloated bureaucracies in Brussels, wants to reform the CAP and create an outward looking deregulated Europe of independent nation states."